A plane from low-cost eastern European carrier Wizzair yesterday caught fire as it came to land in Sofia but all 146 passengers on board escaped harm, the Bulgarian government announced.

A front wheel of the Airbus A-320 arriving from Venice burst and caught alight, the interior ministry said.

The passengers were evacuated and the fire was put out within 20 minutes. There were no injuries to those on board.

The airport was closed for several hours.

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